Contemplative Practice (Vipaśyanā-caryā) on the Thoughts of the Mind Consciousness and the Manas in Meditative Concentration

Question: Shortly after sitting down, I first feel my body gradually becoming settled, and my breathing becomes very faint. At the same time, I notice thoughts constantly popping up, but my consciousness does not run off following the thoughts. Sometimes it feels like dreaming—every thought seems accompanied by a vague image, though "image" is more like a shadow, flashing by as the thoughts arise and cease, like sleeping while awake. Does this state count as entering meditative concentration (samādhi)? Should I concentrate my attention on a single point to reduce the thoughts?

Answer: This situation is a state of having concentration. Only when the mind has settled down can you notice your own thoughts, and only with the support of meditative power can you avoid running off after them. Only with the support of meditative power can you carefully observe thoughts, feeling that they are unreal like a dream, feeling that thoughts are illusory like shadows. After this state persists for a period of time, the thoughts will gradually decrease. Whether or not you can control the thoughts, as long as dhyāna continues to deepen, the thoughts will gradually diminish and may even disappear entirely. When meditative concentration is relatively stable, you can then deeply and subtly deliberate on the meaning of the Dharma and investigate it, sorting out clearly the threads of the Buddhist teachings you have learned, and then focus your mind on making key breakthroughs. 

In meditative concentration you can notice thoughts—who is doing the noticing? Who notices whose thoughts? This noticing is the noticing of the mind consciousness, which discovers the thoughts arising from the manas appearing one by one, from vague to clear. This shows that meditative concentration enables the mind consciousness to discover thoughts it had never noticed before, and to observe them with increasing clarity—this is the effect produced by meditative power. If the mind consciousness follows the thoughts of the manas, and the mind consciousness notices this, it is called the introspection of the mind consciousness, which is self-validating cognition (sva-saṃvitti-saṃvitti-bhāga); noticing the thoughts of the manas is the function of self-cognition (svasaṃvitti). 

That the mind consciousness no longer runs off after the thoughts shows that the mind consciousness and the manas can be separated from each other, and that they mutually restrain, mutually perfume, and mutually influence each other. When the degree of depth is greater and the mind is more refined and wise, one can discern which consciousness is defiled by afflictions and which consciousness appears somewhat purer, or whether both are defiled, or both are somewhat pure; one can also discern who can restrain whom, who can influence whom, and who can perfume whom. Originally the manas was more heavily defiled and could drag the mind consciousness along; now, with strengthened meditative power from dhyāna, the mind consciousness has awakened and no longer follows the manas. What will happen next? Continue cultivating concentration, and the thoughts of the manas will become fewer and fewer, the mind will become purer and purer, and the defilements will become lighter and lighter. At this point, thinking about problems will be very deep and meticulous, with clear and lucid threads of reasoning, and wisdom will be elevated.

The manas's grasping and clinging drags the mind consciousness along, making the mind consciousness constantly grasp at thoughts without cease. The manifestation of the manas's grasping is endless thoughts and a restless, agitated mind. If you say the manas grasps and clings, many people will acknowledge it; but if you say the manas has thoughts, they will object, because many people simply do not know what grasping and clinging means, and can only recite from books without following the Dharma, saying the manas has no mental faculty of memory (smṛti). But in fact, if the manas had no faculty of memory, the mind would not be disturbed at all—nothing good or bad could appear; in the worldly realm it would be like an idiot, and in terms of cultivation it would mean the mind was already extremely pure and dhyāna very deep. Only by actually engaging in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on your own body, mind, and world will wisdom arise, knowing how things truly are, possessing wisdom of suchness, knowing things as they really are. Reciting from books is relying on people, not on the Dharma. The Dharma requires your own truthful observation; when observation yields wisdom, you will realize the Dharma.